Angelic Rose
by Tiggerola
Summary: Naïve girl sent to adult cartoon on mysterious mission. She keeps an eye on Kurama, but with other hotties walking around and Hiei’s suspicions, will her task be as easy as she had hoped? Takes place during Dark Tournament Finals
1. Entering the Dark Tournament

**AN:** _Putting up this story by request. This was my very first completed fanfic from many years ago based on my initial reactions as I was getting into YYH. I still love the DBZ comparison jokes in the beginning, but after it diverges from the cartoon...I'll admit it gets rather, er, sappy XD On my defense, I excuse the Sally Sue on grounds of being Mary Sue's little sister XD (I wrote this and gave her that name before I even knew what a Mary Sue was, but now I know, I just run with it! lol) and she's been put in a body with more hormones than she's accustomed to._

_Avoiding too much redundancy, I haven't included all of the Dark Tournament events--just the ones my character effected. So having the DT finals fresh on the mind for setting would be a good idea while reading this story._

_A few fanarts for this story are linked in my Profile._

* * *

**Prologue**

My name is Sally Sue and I work for the rarely heard of CC (Cartoon Cops) I get to watch cartoons all day and go into them when there is a problem that needs to be solved. Sure you see bad guys on TV, but off the screen they are friendly…mostly (every now and then someone goes on a berserk rampage and the CC is needed to set everything in order).

Now you have the opportunity to go with me on my adventure through YuYu Hakusho. There really isn't a problem in their block right now, but Bob has just asked me to go on a mission there. So we'll go into his control room office to find out what he wants me to do there. I don't know too much about this cartoon; I saw the first episode (which looked pretty good) and what the next episode would hold, but that's about it.

My mission concerns Kurama, which I find shocking that he is a he; from previews with the hair and the flowers, I thought he was a she. He has long red hair and green eyes, similar to all the characters that I create for myself. (He must be a male clone of my imaginary self!) As Bob and I plan my disguise, I give myself purple hair and blue eyes and somewhat different abilities to avoid being a complete copy of Kurama. I love how we get to create our own characters when we go undercover; we are allowed one form per cartoon plus the animated version of our true form. Anyway, I let Bob deal with all the technicalities so my character will be believable in that block, and now I'm ready to roll!

* * *

The spotlight illuminated a fish-like announcer that stood in the center of the ring in the enclosed stadium. To one side of the ring stood a group of four while on the other side was a group of five. The surrounding crowd of demons verbalized their anger of the impending cancellation of the fight due to the first team being short one member even though the opposing team insisted they would not make it to the fifth round. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei stood, waiting for Genkai's replacement to show up. Yusuke Urameshi, the team captain, had said that he had it arranged, but now there were doubts.

Juri, the announcer waved her hand as she called into her microphone, "Sakyohas taken the place of a fifth member for Team Toguro and we are still waiting for Team Urameshi or they will forfeit in five…four…three…tw"

POOF!!! A fifth being suddenly appeared next to the members of Team Urameshi stunning everyone, including Team Urameshi. She had short purple hair that framed her face with two thick locks of bangs curving around her big, blue eyes. She looked around, taking in the scene.

"Where the world did you come from?" bellowed a dumbfounded Kuwabara.

"Uhhh…never mind!" the girl defended nervously.

"Who are you?" Yusuke questioned.

"Eh, Leilani," she replied.

Juri then announced over the loudspeakers, "Well, now that both teams have five fighters, we can finally start the finals!"

"Wait!" shouted the new member of Team Urameshi, "I can't fight!"

"Then what are you doing here?" interrogated Hiei.

Koto, the cat-demon host for the event broadcast, observed from the bleachers, "Team Urameshi at last has a fifth member, but she wishes to back out which if she does will result in one point automatically for Team Toguro!"

"No!" screamed the girl as she climbed on stage, running towards Juri and covered the microphone. She pulled out a wallet to show to Juri something and whispered to her. Hiei could spot the glimmer of what looked like a badge in what Leilani was concealing.

Juri then proclaimed to the stadium, "Leilani here is on secret official business and has a right to be down in the arena as the semi-finals occur without herself being a contestant!"

"SHHHH! That's supposed to be a secret!" exclaimed Leilani.

Being the tournament expert, Koto wasn't sure about Leilani's business so Leilani had to jump over to her and show her the proof with the warning that if there were any problems, then she would have to report it to her superiors. After that mess was cleared up and Leilani returned to the arena floor, Juri realized that Team Urameshi was way overdue in producing their other fighting member and announced that they would forfeit.

"Hold your horses, I'm right here!" hollered Koenma in his stud-muffin adult form, leaning against the pillar by his team's entrance, "Patience is a virtue, but unfortunately my dry ice finished evaporating while I was the one who had to wait."

Koenma pushed himself up from leaning and strutted to the other team members. They had a short conversation while Juri finished reading off the rules of the Dark Tournament Finals. Instead of listening, Leilani conversed with a small flying robot with a screen that had been attached to her belt beforehand. On the screen was the image of Bob, who appeared to be working on a computer and observing data.

"That was very inconspicuous, Bob!" Leilani rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Hey, it worked out all right," replied the voice emitting from the robot.

"Ha! Now my cover's been blown!" she huffed

"Don't worry, you'll still be able to do your job," Bob replied through the robot.

"Yeah, with everyone watching me, wondering what sort of secret business I'm on," Leilani mumbled.

"You need to be down there later. Trust me, just sit and enjoy the fight," Bob informed.

"Fight, huh? Just like the world martial arts tournament in DBZ?" Leilani wondered.

She looked up and saw that Kurama had taken the stage against Karasu. Juri counted off the fight to begin. Kurama caused flower petals to swirl around him. Karasu walked straight into them, unaffected. The petals started to spontaneously combust and the fighters started their methods of attacking and Dodging. Leilani was repulsed as she heard Koto scream that she wanted to see blood in this battle. Still, she inched over towards Team Urameshi as the fight ensued.

"So is this a basic tournament where the object is to either throw your opponent out of the ring, knock him out for 10 seconds, or cause him to surrender?" Leilani whispered.

"Those are ways to win," stated Hiei, absorbed in the battle, "but the object is to kill your opponent!"


	2. Let the Fighting Begin!

**AN:** _'dragonballs' refers to all three series (the 's' at the end makes it plural) I'm not misspelling DBZ/GT or anything._

* * *

"WHAT!?" Leilani shrieked, "That's not right! A feat like that would cause a contestant to disqualify."

"Leilani…" Bob urged, trying to calm her down.

"Well it does in Dragon Balls!" she pointed out.

"This isn't Dragon Balls!"

"It's anime, they're all the same."

"No there not!"

Lelani's rising voice caused the nearby heads to turn. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked over at her quizzically as she carried on the conversation with the silver, floating circle. Hiei glared at the disturbance she was causing.

She continued, "Sure, they all have wonderful deep, complex plotlines that they stretch out into hundreds of episodes with all the pointless fight scenes!"

"Hey! What's this little do-hickie?" intercepted Kuwabara pointing to Bob.

The robotic arms attached to the circle tried to push Kuwabara's finger away as he poked it. Leilani reached and grabbed the flying disc with both hands and hid him on her opposing side.

"My portable assistant secretary" stated Leilani.

"If you don't mind, some of us are trying to watch the fight," Hiei expressed, extremely annoyed.

Everyone's attention returned to on stage where Karasu seemed to have the upper hand in the battle. Leilani was sickened by how graphic the fighters wounds were, she had never been in a cartoon where violence was accented so much. Still, Leilani kept her eyes intent on the bats and bombs that the vampire-like opponent was creating.

Kuwabara mumbled a threat to some guy named Suzuka about if some potion he gave Kurama didn't work. Apparently Kurama had taken some potion before the fight that was suppose to help him utilize his energy for the fight.

Karasu threw another materialized bomb that caused a giant explosion. Karasu flew out of the smoke and was seen with the stem of a rose protruding from his palm that he promptly crushed. He peered into the smoke that did not settle down, but swirled with blue electric streaks. Black lighting shot across the stadium as energy released and centered back into the center of the previous strike. The smoke parted to reveal Kurama as a silver haired fox demon. For the audience, Koto commented about her foxy dream returning. The rest of the crowd murmured about the legendary bandit Yoko Kurama.

"Oh look, he has a fox tail. Don't tell me that he turns into a gigantic fox bent on destroying the world when he sees a full moon" Leilani expressed sarcastically.

"For crying out loud," contended Bob, "This is not Dragonballs!"

"Yeah it is, he just changed into a new form that holds more energy."

"He doesn't turn into a giant world destroying fox like a saiyan!"

"Fine, but you know I'm allergic to fox tails. So I can't continue this mission."

"Allergic? Since when?"

"Everyone in my family is allergic to something and my allergy is fox tails."

"I thought you were allergic to onions."

"Oh, yeah," Leilani chuckled sheepishly, "It's my sister who has the fox tail allergy…drat!"

"Nice try to escape the gore," Bob said dryly.

"Anyway," Leilani regained focus, "he's actually cuter like that…although I'm more of a feline person. I'm not sure I like his demonic attitude though."

"Well, you know what you have to do."

Yoko Kurama fought on while everyone watched closely. Leilani, even closer still. In his demon form, he turned the tables on his opponent. Gracefully he dodged the bomber bats that Karasu put out. He talked smooth and kept a sinister smile on his face. Suddenly a plant sprouted up from the ring that sliced the pursuing bombs. Each branch of the plant had a narrow mouth at the end with pointy teeth and surrounded by leaves.

The thorny branches flexibly squirmed around the ring, chasing Karasu. He threw a bomb after bomb, but even though it would incinerate a branch each time, the plant as a whole survived and was angrier than before. One branch latched onto him and squeezed as it ascended. Karasu's mask flew off his face then mouth upon mouth, the branches feasted upon the demon catch.

Yoko turned to walk away as Juri sat in a daze from the trauma of being so close to such danger. Koto shouted at her to announce the winner so Juri got up to decide the round. No sooner than she mentioned Team Urameshi winning the first round that Yoko stopped short as he sensed the round was indeed not over. The plant exploded in a flash of green light and Karasu was left standing in its place. Karasu took a long, deep breath in, increasing his power. His black hair turned golden blond.

"Look, see," Leilani pointed, "he just turned super saiyan! Just like DBZ!"

"For the last time, this is not DBZ!" Bob screamed.

"You better keep the DBZ stuff down, people are starting to stare."

Karasu internalized his explosive energy which caused half the ring and most of the stadium to be wiped out. Karasu stood and laughed after the attack with Yoko Kurama no where to be seen. Then a pile of debris shifted and Kurama emerged, back in his human form. He seemed significantly weakened, but the fight continued.

Everyone was attentive while it looked like Karasu would win. Just as it seemed Karasu was going to make the final attack, Kurama summoned a plant that honed in a cut near Karasu'sheart that he had created. A giant flower sprouted on top of the plant as it drained the rest of Karasu's life away from him. Kurama had annihilated his foe.

Kuwabara rejoiced while Hiei noticed that Team Tuguro didn't look as disappointed as they should. Yusuke went to help Kurama and Leilani prepared to make her move.

Juri announced the winner of the match to be Karasu, which shocked everyone. Yusuke yelled at Jury, but Kurama just sat in defeat.

"Duh he lost," Leilani stated towards Team Urameshi's flabbergasted response, "I told you that you get disqualified for killing your opponent."

"Leilani..." Bob warned her as that was not the case for the official decision.

To justify the outcome, Koto received a tape and played it. It showed the end of the fight with Juri commenting in the ring how Karasuremained alive until after the 10 second count. Karasu had died a fraction of a second after the 10 count started. Enraged, Leilani jumped onto stage and requested the tape to be played again. This time she stopped it at 6 seconds.

She grabbed Juri's microphone and narrated, "Now in my experience, when the knocked down contestant starts moving, the judge stops counting. Note that here at 6 seconds Kurama is on his hands and knees, he is obviously not knocked out, therefore the count should have discontinued. Furthermore, the purpose of a count is to keep the action going. Since at 6 seconds Kurama is clearly preparing an attack, any further counting is annulled. Kurama is the victor of this round, I rest my case."

"That doesn't make sense…I made my final call, and I'll stand by it!" exclaimed Jury, grabbing the microphone back.

"Fine…but if Team Urameshi scores two more wins, they better be the winners or I'll report your biases to my superiors," vindicated Leilani coolly as she started to strut offstage, "plus you will be held accountable for any deaths that occur from this tournament after two points for Urameshi."

Baffled, Koto stuttered, "Well there you have it. For the first time ever we have a winner who is dead and a loser…that is not!"

While passing Yusuke as she left, Leilani whispered, "Leave Kurama with me when you get him off the stage…I'll tend to his wounds."


	3. Leilani's Secret

With the first round going to Team Toguro, Yusuke glared at Koto and then Juri as he remarked at the unfairness and vowed that his team would not loose again. He turned to help the near dead Kurama up and supported him as they walked off the stage. After hopping off, Yusuke dragged Kurama over to Leilani like she had requested.

"You better take good care of him," Yusuke warned the strange girl.

Leilani held onto Kurama as she reassured Yusuke that she would heal his wounds. Yusuke eyed her over as she laid Kurama on the ground before returning to his team to decide the next match. It was hard to think with the crowd's death threats and banter. One could barely hear Kuwabara defending their team with their moral victory, but the audience fell silent when the straggly Elder Toguro that crouched on his brother's shoulder began to speak.

All eyes were focused on team Toguro except for the pairs that belonged to Leilani and Kurama. Kurama lay entranced while he witnessed Leilani go through a transformation of her own. Her purple hair grew into long flowing light pink locks. Silver sparkled through the eyes that were once blue. Her lynx-like ears and tail gracefully emerged. Her form-fitting clothes changed into loose colored robes, similar in style to Yoko's outfit, but altered to be modest for the girl. She gazed down at the exhausted Kurama while he could scarce believe his eyes.

"What are you?" he questioned hoarsely.

"An angel," Leilani replied.

"That's ironic," Kurama smirked, "an angel helping a demon."

"Shhh. Rest now while I heal you," she uttered.

While knelt down beside him, her dominant hand hovered over his body in search of the gashes that covered him. A small light illuminated from her fist every time she came across an open wound. Crinkling what had formed within, she sprinkled blue crushed petals over the cuts and then ran her finger across, sealing his skin back together.

In the meantime, Bui proceeded onto the stage and Hiei seized the opportunity while Koenma was teasing Kuwabara about dying in the match. Juri announced the giant against the shrimp. Kurama wanted to know what was going on. He attempted to sit up but Leilani gently pressed him back down.

"Hold on, I'm almost done," she implored while concentrating her energies on his last scratch on his shoulder, "There you go."

Upon finishing, her hand moved over his face, up the side of his cheek and then hovering over his lips. Her eyes gazed into his as time seemed to be lost for both of them. The exploding energies in the nearby ring did not effect them. Leilani extended a leg behind her to maintain balance as she brought her face closer to his. In a nervous sweat, Kurama quickly grasped her hand, pulling it away from his mouth and using it as leverage to sit up. He took the time to inspect her now empty hand and then looked over the rest of her body.

"You're covered in blood," he observed.

"That can be easily fixed," she stated, drawing a purple rose from behind her head.

She held it vertically in front of Kurama so he could examine it.

Kurama slyly commented, "You produce interesting roses."

She smiled back, "Special trait."

Leilani's free hand held Kurama's wrist and brought it up to the rose. She pressed its stem into Kurama's fingers, causing a thorn to pierce his index finger. She then guided the finger over his blood stains on her outfit and arm, absorbing the blood and leaving Leilani spotless. When she released his wrist, the pierce she had made had disappeared.

A blow from the stage stole Kurama's attention. He looked up to see how Hiei dodged the sections of the stage that Bui was swinging at him. Absorbed back into the fight, he rose and dusted him self off then ventured back over with his team. Yusuke glanced over and was relieved to see Kurama back on his feet. Inconspicuously, Leilani also chose to stand by Team Urameshi during this match.

It wasn't long before Bui shed his armor, taunting Hiei about liking to see him try to top his energy aura. Hiei only smiled at him devilishly, stating that as amusing as it would be, he wouldn't even have to try to beat this power.

"Arrogant little brat, isn't he?" Leilani whispered.

"He can at least back up his claim," Bob whispered back.

Hiei started unbandaging his right arm, causing a heavy atmosphere to befall the stadium. There were mentions of a Dark Dragon that had been seen earlier in the tournament, along with Koto commenting that what Hiei had summoned from his arm was superbly more powerful than before. Leilani hid behind Kurama to avoid being instantly incinerated like some of the audience. She clenched onto Kurama's sleeves and did not emerge until after the the destruction was over and the match was announced to go to Hiei.

Wearily returning to his group, Hiei pointed at them and told them that they better win or he would kill them all. On his last breath, he fell back and fainted. Leilani sprang out from behind Kurama and crouched over the sleeping demon.

"Oh look, he's hibernating," oozed Leilani, "Quick, who has a marker? I have a Jigglypuff urge to draw all over his face!"

Before Kuwabara could pull out his marker, Bob reminded Leilani in a warning voice, "There are other matters at hand right now."

"Oh, right," Leilani said with some disappointment.

She got up and began to walk away.

"Hey," Kuwabara shouted at her, "Where do you think you're goin'?"

"To rejuvenate Bui, don't think that I came just to help your team. I'm here to be fair, not to pick sides."

* * *

_AN: Fanart of healing scene linked in profile  
Trivial note~when I first put this up on MyOtaku, someone commented how Leilani scared her and so in the fanart I added a hint of creepiness with her tail on him XD --amazing how influential comments are, huh?_


	4. Distractions Arise

Due to the ring's destruction, an extensive intermission was announced and the teams migrated to their locker rooms. Leilani attempted to offer her help to Bui, following which, she changed back to human form and traveled to check on Kurama. Kuwabara was talking with his sister, Hiei was laid on a cot, and Kurama was reading a book. Leilani leaned against the doorway, contemplating how to approach him.

"He probably would not enjoy me disturbing his reading," Leilani though

"That doesn't really matter, just get the job done," Bob pestered.

"How old is he again?"

"15 in human form."

"That's young!"

"His demon form is over 300 years old, going into the thousands if you look into hints given later in the series if you look enough into it. Is that a bit more your maturity level?"

"Hm, I suppose that's better, but how old does that make me in this form? I hope I'm not regressing in age!"

"Oh, your similar, I was considering making you 14 like the other guys, but you're the same as Kurama's human form."

"Woop-de-doo" Leilani drawled sarcastically, "I'm a whole year older. Still, it's a pity that they have to fight so violently when they are still such a young age."

"Gee, you never expressed feelings that way for Gohan missing school, and he was quite a bit younger when he became super sayain."

"I thought that we weren't talking about other cartoons," teased Leilani.

"It's just to prove another difference."

"Well since were on the subject, I have a brilliant idea to revolutionize cartoons! How about a cartoon dating service?"

"A dating service, you've got to be kidding me!"

"Really, I've got the first couple in mind and everything."

Bob glared at Leilani in disbelief accusing, "You're just trying to avoid confrontation again."

"No I'm not. I was just thinking that Kurama would be perfect for Raven."

"From Teen Titans? I don't think so."

"Well look, they are quiet, reserved with their emotions, spend their free time reading, and they're about the same age. It would work perfectly!"

"You've obviously never dated in the real world before, have you?"

"I'm serious, I mean when Raven starts going berserk trying to break Robin and Starfire up, just send her here."

Just then Koenma in his stud-muffin form appeared behind Leilani.

He inquired, "Might I have a word with you?"

"EEEP!!!" squealed Leilani turning around, "Oh, uh, hi."

"Ah-hem…" coughed Bob, which was immediately received by an inconspicuous hitting reflex from Leilani.

Her motion sent him back crashing into the wall with the screen blacked out. It slid to the floor, wires poking out and electric currents fizzing. Leilani smiled at Koenma like nothing had happened. He returned the smile, paying no heed to what had happened to Bob.

"Sure," Leilani beamed.

Koenma motioned out of the door and they began walking down the stadium corridor. He asked her about angels since he had never interacted with them before…in fact he never even knew they existed. With the implication that angels were employed by Spirit World and the fact that Koenma was in charge of a great deal of this otherworldly organization, made it rather sticky for Leilani to explain herself. Still, she responded to his inquiries the best she could, but thought Bob had taken care of all that. However, since angels weren't afore mentioned in the series, they needed a form of introduction, so she bore with it.

"I still find it strange that I've never been exposed to your kind before," Koenma pursued.

"We have dealings with King Yama, he probably doesn't bother worrying you with the details. You know how the Spirit World operates on a need-to-know basis," Leilani chuckled.

"I would imagine that I would have heard something about angels after all the time I've spent overseeing the Human World."

"We don't enjoy going around bragging, I'm sorry that Juri blew my cover."

"I'm glad she did," Koenma whispered.

He stopped walking and turned to Leilani. Gazing into her eyes, he raised her chin with his hand.

He continued, "You're the most beautiful creature I have ever encountered!"

Leilaniblushed. Such a pretty face with silky brown hair looking down at her. She was unsure how to react. Before he seemed to be conversing with her on a business level, but now if this wasn't a pickup line, she didn't know what was. She hesitated as she found herself lost in his big, sincere eyes, finally giving into her inclinations of throwing her arms around him in a warm embrace. Likewise, his arms wrapped around her. Loosening her grasp, she looked at his charming face and could tell he was smiling behind his pacifier. They both closed their eyes and drew their faces together her hand drifted close to remove his binky.

Suddenly, cold metal clamped onto Leilani's ear and yanked her away, back down the hall to Team Urameshi's locker room.

A familiar voice gruffly stated, "You should be more careful with your equipment!"

"BOB! What's the big idea?" Leilani shrieked.

"I'm not very happy with you crushing the communicator's circuits! You need to focus, the intermission will end sooner than everyone expects."

"And what about your job? If you did it properly, Koenma wouldn't be asking me questions!"

"I did my part, can't you tell he was searching for an excuse to flirt with you?"

Leilani escaped his grasp and stood smiling at the thought, "Oh, really?"

"You know, for being an angel, you're not acting very angelic!" Bob harassed.

Leilani continued walking, "Hey! I'll get things done in my own way, on my own time. I know what I'm doing."

"You've only been on the team for a month, you're not a pro yet!"

"So why did you choose me to come if you don't like my style?"

Bob growled as sparks flew between their glares. They arrived at the doorway of the locker room and needed to drop their heated argument. Within, Kurama was in the same position as before, reading his book. Leilani leaned against the entrance and sighed.

"So are you going in, or do I need to make a formal introduction?" Bob pestered.

Leilani imagined how embarrassing Bob could make it and shuddered, "I'll do it myself, you just stay here."

She walked into the room and sat beside Kurama. He continued reading his book, unaware of how Leilani found every delicate curve in his hair exquisitely gorgeous. The way the front framed his face, the thick bangs, the front locks curving over his shoulders, and not to mention the wild mess behind that had locks sticking up and down half way down his back. She scooted closer to him as she mustered the courage to interrupt his book.

She gently asked, "How are you feeling?"

Kurama closed his book and looked at her, replying, "Much better, thank you."

"That's good to hear," she leaned in and stroked the side of his face, intertwining his hair in her fingers.

"Ummm," Kurama stammered, "I was wondering…"

Before Leilani could encourage his question, Hiei stirred on the cot. Leilani drew back as he woke up. Seeing Kurama, he asked about what was going on. Kurama informed him that he had been sleeping for six hours now. Hearing this, Hiei wanted to know that they won tournament and was sorely disappointed that they haven't even held the next round while they were waiting for the equipment to arrive to transport the old ring to the stadium.

"What? Did you think you could just sleep through the whole thing?" Leilani taunted, "I wish I could just do that, like Bedtime Bear when there was a soccer game and he said…"

"LEILANI!!!" shouted Bob.

"Dah! Where'd you come from?" Leilani jumped, "I thought you were going to stay outside!"

Not listent to her, Bob lectured, "What crazed suspicion caused you to think that they know anything about Care Bears!"

"Care what?" Kurama questioned.

"Hn. They sound like some mob of sickeningly sweet furballs," Hiei commented.

"I rest my case," stressed Bob.

Just then, the end of the intermission was announced over the intercom. The next match would take place sooner than expected thanks to Toguro's strength in carrying the new ring in single-handedly. The team met up in the arena as the ground shook, awestruck at their opponents power and strength.


	5. The Champion's Reign

Kuwabara stepped up against the Elder Toguro as the third match began. It was a disgusting and repulsive fight, especially when the brother decided to put on a little puppet show for Kuwabara, revealing that the fith member of Urameshi's team really was dead, which everyone seemed to know except Kuwabara. The Elder Toguro kept peicing himself together as Kuwabara sliced him apart but Kuwabara actually won after literally squashing Elder Toguro like a bug.

The victor came off stage and showed his depreciation towards Yusuke for not informing him of Genkai's death with a punch in the face. He held Yusuke by the collar until Kurama explained that Yusuke didn't tell anyone and the others detected her. passing on their own. With the truth in the open, Leilani brushed her hands together like she had just completed a hard day's work.

"Well as far as I'm concerned, your team just won the whole tournament," Leilani told them.

However, her statement fell on preoccupied ears as Juri announced the match, interrupted by Sakyo who had a proposal to make. He asked that between him and Koenma, they would offer up their lives so that whoever's team lost the next match would die, making the team captains' fight worth two points. Despite Team Urameshi's protest, Koenma agreed.

Leilani grabbed Koenma's arm and pleaded, "You don't have to agree to this. You only need one more win for their standards. If you loose, there's still a chance to fight back."

"But Sakyo's right," he reasoned, "It would be anticlimactic for us to fight afterwards and personally, I have no intention to fight."

"But he's just as much as a fighter as you are. It would be as amusing as when the old wizards were fighting in _Lord of the Rings_ where Suraman went 'Hah!'" Leilani began to act out, "and Gandalf went, 'Ah!' then…"

"Leilani," Bob reminded.

"But it was hilarious," Leilani defended herself then looked around at all the eyes in the stadium giving her quizzical looks, "Geez, the only amusing fight and no ones interested. OK then, back up, what if I said 'At least you're taking this lying down!'"

"Now _Singing in the Rain_? These movies aren't even animated!" critiqued Bob.

The embarrassing moment was soon forgotten as no objection was received by the tournament committee and Yusuke and Toguro began their match. Their matched powers amazed the crowd. Togurowas pleased that Yusuke could put up so much of a fight and powered up to 80%.

"Ewwww!" Leilani made a face, "How disproportional! That's just sick and wrong!

"If you think that looks bad, you have no idea of the true horrors that the Demon World possesses," smirked Hiei.

"Oh, I'm so envious," Leilani replied sarcastically.

Eventually, Toguro powered up to his full strength. His body began to absorb the weaker audience members. Koenma was able to shield Team Urameshi and Leilani from the monstrosity. Yusuke could no longer provide him a challenge, even with him unleashing the spirit cuffs that Genkai had weighted on him.

Then Puu was possessed by Genkai's spirit and flew into the area where the ring had once stood. She told Toguro that to unleash Yusuke's full power all he needed to do was kill a friend and make sure that he watches. Toguro smiled and set his sights on Kuwabara while the possessed Puu sat on the side, looking like a very grumpy blue penguin.

Everyone was astounded at the level the fight had reached. Already it was a fight to the death, seeing as the ring was again demolished and all boundaries gone, but purposely killing an individual who wasn't currently fighting was absurd. Kurama and Hiei assumed stances to ward of the Younger Toguro as he stepped closer to the group.

"I don't get what everyone is so worried about," Leilani shrugged.

"Apparently your ears aren't working," Hiei notified, "Toguro plans to kill one of us."

"Yeah, and…" Leilani ensued.

"Does 'death' have no meaning to you?" Hiei almost sounded impressed.

"Sure, but I heard you mention something about wishes earlier. Can't we just wish him back?"

"Leilani," Bob clarified, "They don't have Dragonballs where they can just wish anyone who dies back."

"But don't the wishes cover life?"

"I wouldn't waste my wish on the life of a moron!" Hiei huffed.

"But there's a wish to everyone who survives gets a wish, so if someone could wish him back, then he would be a surviving member of the team and be entitled to a wish as well. He could use his for whatever the person wanted."

"Leilani," Bob pulled her aside and whispered, "It's already been established that the sponsors have been done away with, there will be no wishes."

"But aren't there other ways to bring him back to life?" Leilani pointed to Yuske, "He used to be dead, but he's not now is he?"

"Those were special circumstances."

"Yeah, real special!" Leilani scoffed.

Kuwabara stepped forward to face Toguro head on. He went in and sacrificed his life so Yusuke could win. Yusuke was so startled that an amazing thing happened with his spirit energy. His emotions flooded the stadium as if to protect the survivors. At last he could overcome his opponent, which is what Toguro had hoped for as well. After the final attack, both fighters were sprawled on the ground as the hushed crowed awaited the verdict. Toguro's body looked like a withered log burn in a campfire. Yusuke stirred and was proclaimed the winner, earning his team the championship.

However, Yusuke did not celebrate his victory and started bawling over letting Kuwabara die. When he found out that Kuwabara's death was only faked, he became more emotional and started to beat Kuwabara up for fooling him.


	6. Escaping the Demolition

Finally the tournament was over and everyone could breath. However, the peace was short-lived. Sakyo revealed that the whole stadium was to blow up, destroying him and his plans to open the gateway. The walls trapping the audience in the stadium were still standing, but people ran to find a way out. Koenma broke off to catch up with Sakyo who had retreated to the basement of the arena. Team Urameshi went to help the girls that had come to support them.

After Hiei saved Yukina from a crumbling wall and Yusuke beat Kayko out of her daze, the group headed for a gap in where they recalled from one of the explosions. Leilani ran after the others. They stopped when they reached their intended exit, finding that debris had filled in the gap. Leilani started to catch her breath when Chu, Rinku, Touya and Jin appeared, breaking through to the outside. Urameshi's team was surprised at their helpfulness.

Still catching her breath, Leilani wasn't listening until her ears picked up at the sound of a swift Irish accent.

"Right he is, and when the tourney next around comes flying we'll have new muscles on us! And whee and woo we'll be the champions that one!" the voice explained.

Leilani looked up to see the red hair and blue eyes attached.

"Oh, who's that?" Leilani inquired.

"That's only Jin, a Wind Master, he fought Yusuke in an earlier match," Bob informed then noticed Leilani walking away, "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

She went over to Jin and fell on him.

She squealed, "Oh, I've sprained my ankle! With those big strong muscles and all, could you carry me out?"

Placing a hand behind his head, Jingave a surprised chuckle, "Uh, sure! That'd be no problem lil lass!"

With a path cleared out of the stadium, everyone ran to escape and cleared the explosion just in time. They turned to watch the destruction they had avoided. Now it was really over for good. There were sighs of relief among the survivors. Hiei suspiciously glared at Jin and Leilani laughing together. Bob flew up beside him.

"I know," Bob sympathized, "She has no shame."

"Hmph. It's quite pathetic really," Hiei replied.

Bob shrugged and flew off to join Leilani.

Hieiwhispered to his teammates, "I don't know what she's after, but I don't trust her. Be sure to not give her anything she asks for."

Leilani thanked Jin for helping her and prepared to reward him for saving the life of an angel. She transformed back into her angel form and kissed his forehead. He smiled really big and nearly tipped over.

"Keep up the good deeds and maybe one day you can be an angel too," Leilani reassured in a celestial tone.

Seeing Jin's happiness, his companions were desirous for kisses as well. Leilani agreed since they helped everyone from the stadium escape. Each one of them had similar reactions as her lips touched their foreheads. Then she changed back into a human. Bob accompanied her as she walked back to the members of Team Urameshi.

"Case closed, my work here is done," Leilai announced.

"Where are you off to now?" Kurama questioned her.

"Well, we always get off at least two weeks after every mission; we get more time off after more dangerous missions," Leilani explained, "During that off time we can perform service of our own choosing."

"Oh joy," Hiei said sarcastically, "Just be sure not to spread any of that sunshine around me!"

Leilani bent over Hiei and teased, "Actually I was thinking of spending my time off hanging around you guys."

"You have got to be kidding me," Hiei gruffed.

Leilani straightened up and tought out loud, "In fact with the danger I was in back there, I might even get a whole year off! Bob, do you think you can manage my report to do so?"

"A year is pushing it, you may only get a month or so," Bob sighed at her overexerted attempts.

"Thank goodness," murmured Hiei.

"If you need a place to lodge, I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind if you stayed with us for the time you have," offered Kurama.

This received a warning look from Hiei. Telepathically, Kurama explained to him that he thought that this would be the best way to keep an eye on her and to learn what she was up to. Hiei still didn't like the sound of it, but he still complied.

"If that wouldn't be to much trouble, I would greatly appreciate it, thank you," expressed Leilani.

Back at the hotel, the guys were ready to leave and waiting in the lounge for the girls. Leilani sat with them at the table and Hiei glared at her the whole time. The ship was going to take off soon and they needed to get going. Kayko, Botan, Shiziru, and Yukina showed up (at an inopportune moment) and they checked out for good.

As they looked out at the ocean that they would soon cross, they speculated what they would do upon their return. Leilani sighed at the sensitivity Kurama showed towards his human mother and was about to say something but Hiei mentioned the various crimes he could continue to cause, which set her off.

Just then, a familiar voice came from the forest behind them, and they found that Genkai was alive again. Everyone but Leilani ran to her.

"See, she came back alive too!" Leilani exclaimed, "So what was the deal with everyone being worried about Kuwabara dying."

"Just get on the ship!" Bob groaned.

Everyone boarded the cruiser and looked at the island as they set off on their way back home.


	7. Journey Home

Leilani was getting ready for bed in her cabin on the ship. While applying Japanese cherry blossom scented lotion over her skin, she thought over everything that happened while she was at the Dark Tournament. There had been a few sidetracks to her real mission, but now Koenma and Jin had gone their separate ways and she only had Kurama on her mind now.

"Fine time for you to be going to bed young missy!" Bob harassed.

"Why not? It's night." Leilani sniffed.

"You still haven't confronted Kurama," Bob reminded.

"What does that matter? We'll be staying under the same roof for a while," She rebutted and waved him out the door, "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to change!"

After finally being rid of her little helper, Leilani donned her pajamas. For a while she laid on her bed pondering then jumped up and peeked out the door. She didn't spy Bob anywhere, so she snuck out and crept up to the main deck. She gazed at the moonlit, star filled sky and deeply inhaled the salty sea air as she glided over to the edge and rested her hands on the rail. The ocean water shimmered so serenely.

It was nice to have a moments peace. In her enjoyment, she closed her eyes and slid her hands along the rail away from her; she felt as if she flying through the night. This tranquility was short lived, however, as she then felt the cool air that surrounded her intercepted by warmth resonating on her left side. She looked down to see a hand clasped to the rail in front of her. The arm attached had slipped under her outstretched arm. She found this arm belonged to Kurama.

"Pleasant night this evening," Kurama stated staring out to the horizon.

Leilani wearyingly looked back to the sea and replied, "Yes, indeed it is."

For a while, they stood there in silence so Leilani tried to break the ice, "Before, you wanted to tell me something? During the intermission, before Hiei woke up."

"Oh, yes," Kurama remembered, "I was wondering about your angel form…It seems as though you can change into it at will."

"That is true, I can."

"I was wondering how. I would like to be able to bring out Yoko as needed."

"But you did during the tournament."

"That was the result of a potion I took before hand. I was once a demon feared throughout Demon World, but I was wounded near death. I found refuge in who is now my human mother. Now I am trapped in this human body; unable to bring forth my greater strength and techniques."

"Well then, you are in a different boat than I am."

Startled, Kurama turned his head towards her.

She continued, "You see, you ensnared yourself in that body, whereas I have been given mine to take upon as a disguise. For angels, we use bodies of people who have passed on, but their bodies are still in working condition. As for you, you snached the life and so that body has your soul attached in it."

They turned towards each other as Kurama uttered, "Then my dreams are in vain?"

"Not necessarily, I might be able to train you to overcome the difficulties that you are experiencing."

"I would appreciate that greatly, thank you."

"I warn you though, it will be a long, hard, and tedious process."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes for this."

Leilani concealed her beaming joy with a gentle half smile. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment then Leilani turned to leave.

"Wait, I have another question," Kuramastopped her and she turned back towards him. He hesitated for a moment, "You did a very impressive job healing me, but I am still having pains. I don't mean to complain, but would you be able to cure it?"

Slowly, Leilani said, "Perhaps, what is ailing you?"

"I have chronic pains, here," he notified, bringing his hand up to his left chest.

"That's interesting," Leilani mused and drew close to him, "might I run some tests?"

Kurama looked concerned, but nodded in agreement.

"Ok, I want you to tell me if what I do causes the same pains and how they make you feel," she stated.

Leilani brushed her smooth hand against his and asked, "Does that effect the aching?"

Kurama took a quick breath, "Yes."

"And how about this?" Leilani asked as she stroked up his arm.

He nodded. She ran her hand up his neck and gently held the side of his head. The sweet scent of her lotion and gentle caresses overpowered his senses. His deep breathing accelerated as he seized her shoulders as if to push her away, but only clasped on to hold her in place. She could see he was starting to sweat. She stretched out her neck as if to lightly touch his lips with hers. As she backed down, he started at her for a second, the moon lit up her face and the breeze rustled her long blouse slightly. He moved suddenly in for a kiss, only to be stopped by a hand.

"That was only a test," Leilani warned. "Did all of that trigger the same agony you were feeling before?"

"Oh yes!" Kurama gasped, "But now it stings more."

"I know what ails you, and I'm afraid I cannot cure it," Leilani muttered as she released herself from his grasp. "You are in a human body now, you're suffering from hormones. It's all a part of growing up."

Behind a crate, Hiei thought to himself, "He's not the only one with a hormone problem!"

"What can I do about it?" begged Kurama.

"Learn to control them," Leilani advised and turned to go once more, "As you grow older, you will be able to better cope with the feelings they cause."

With that she left him, dumbfounded, to return to her room. She sighed happily as she went in. Bob was soon to follow her.

"HORMONES?! You diagnosed him with HORMONES?" Bob screeched after the door was shut.

"Yeah, so?" Leilani said bluntly, not paying him much heed.

"You're here to complete a mission, not break his heart!"

"I'll take care of him. I've just given him an incentive to cooperate."

"Or a distraction," Bob grumbled.

"You wanted me to come, just deal with how I handle it. I did get him to come asking me instead of my imposing."

"You women have no idea what kind of power you hold over men," muttered Bob after turning towards the wall.

"Maybe you should have sent a guy then."

"That wouldn't work, he's seen other guys transform. We did need feminine charm to entice him," admitted Bob.

Turning back, he saw Leilani smiling over her victory so he snapped, "But for heaven's sake, tone the charm down!"

Leilani sunk onto her bed while asking, "So how long do I have?"

Bob explained, "The most accurate time frame I can give is months, which is specified while mentioning how long Kuwabara's powers are asleep from the tournament to the next adventure. Since time runs differently in cartoons, I'll be able to tell you from here in the control center when the next episode will start. You must go then."

"You're not going anywhere!" came the voice of Hiei.

He had slipped into the room and was now standing behind Bob. In a single move, he sent Bob crashing into the wall and pinned Leilani to her bed.

He sneered at her threateningly, "Stay away from Kurama!"

Leilani tried to push him off of her but his hold on her was firm, leaving her little room to struggle.

She moaned, "Oh great, this boat is just littered with eavesdroppers! Ugh. I'll go away and stay as I want!"

"Just try to go near him and I'll slit your throat!" Hiei coerced.

"Too bad I'm not partial to having my throat slit," snarled Leilani.

"Just what exactly are you planning on doing to him?"

"That's none of your bees-wax!"

"It is now! I didn't trust you during the tournament and I definitely don't trust you after your little chat! You better not lay so much as an eye on him if you wish to see another day," growled Hiei.

"Oh, I'm real scared. You know it's not wise to be attacking angels," Leilani said cooly, despite the pain of his grasp.

"Ha! I don't believe you are a real angel. You work one day then you get over two weeks off? That wasn't even your real mission, was it? I heard your whole conversation just now."

"As far as anyone here needs to know I _am_ a real angel!"

With that Leilani's eyes began to glow as she began her transformation. The energy of it pushed Hiei away from her. He hit the closet door and fell to his knee. She went to her dresser and picked up a wallet. As Hiei stood and prepared for another attack, he found her holding a badge in front of his face.

"That doesn't look as shiny as the one you showed Juri," Hiei spat and grabbed the badge, "Why would they even give badges to angels? I don't need a badge to be a demon!"

As he spoke, he noticed the covering was starting to peel at a corner and ripped it off, revealing a metal that was not animated like the rest of the surroundings. He read the imprinting, giving away Sally Sue's secret identity and informing him of her true role as a Cartoon Cop. Hiei threw the badge aside, stared back at her.

He reproached her saying, "What do the cops have to come here for? Things are going fine without your interference!"

"That doesn't concern you," Leilani sniffed then narrowed her eyes at him, "unless perhaps you have something to hide yourself."

"Not anything more than what you've been hiding. Tell me, what if Kurama found out about your little secret?"

"I will not stand for blackmail! I say that you know too much so I will have to erase parts of your memory.

With that, Leilani waved her hand, sending an energy wave filled with grounded poppy seed powder that knocked Hiei unconscious. While he slept, she brainwashed him to remove all angered feelings towards her and replaced his memories of eavesdropping with other activities. He was still out cold when she finished so she dragged him into the hall and left him laying there. Then she inspected the damage done to the communicator and sighed with relief that it was not beyond repair.

For the remainder of the trip, Hiei found himself with an uncanny urge to avoid Leilani, which he was successful in accomplishing.

* * *

_AN: Fanart of Leilani running test on Kurama linked in profile_


	8. Training

After everyone returned home and Kurama arranged with his mother to let Leilani stay while she was in town, lives returned some-what normal. Leilani found a garden that she could train Kurama in after school.

While she waited for him to come home after his first day back, she conversed with Bob over her assignment.

"I'm trusting you won't be there while I'm training him," Leilani warned.

"After that fiasco on the boat, I don't dare leave you alone with him!" expressed Bob.

"Come on, when you weren't there, I made a lot of progress with him!"

"Progress of what sort? You can't go toying with his emotions!"

"Okay, I get the point! No-touchy!' Leilani rolled her eyes.

Hesitant, Bob said, "I'm not sure, you may still need me."

"Come on, its not even standard procedure to have you here with me in the cartoon! I've got the hang of how things work here, I'll be fine!" she pouted.

Bob rolled his eyes and said, "Sure, whatever. I'll still keep an eye on you; but I promise not to interfere unless I deem it necessary."

"Thank you," Leilani sincerely expressed.

A knock came at the bedroom door and Leilani opened it to find Kurama.

"Good afternoon, Leilani," Kurama smiled and pulled a rose from his hair and offered it to her.

Blushing, she accepted the rose and placed it on her dresser. She then grabbed a book bag and they headed off to begin Kurama's training.

In the garden, they found a secluded place and sat on the grass. Leilani instructed Kurama into a yoga pose.

"Now for today, we will meditate. I want you to explore your inner self. You must first connect and be in tune with your demons before you can progress."

"So today its all a mental exercise?"

"Pretty much!" Leilani smiled.

"Then what's the book bag for?"

"Oh that's to keep me occupied. I figured I could real all of _Lord of the Rings_ while you trained! (I've been stuck in the Barrow Downs for ages!)"

Kurama fell over.

He got up and sighed, "You must tell me about it over dinner or breakfast sometime."

"Don't worry, I can still coach you. Just close, your eyes and relax. Now let me be your guide to your thoughts…"

Kurama meditated until sunset with occasional instructions from Leilani. Afterwards they chatted while walking home. They had dinner, following which, Leilani helped Kurama's mom with the dishes. She then joined the family for card games. When they had played themselves out, Kurama escorted Leilani to her room and they said their goodnights.

Leilani plopped on her bed and sighed happily.

"Were you finally able to say goodbye to Tom Bombadil?" Bob greeted her.

"Not bad for being on my own, huh?"

"Other than reminding me of Madam Trelawney, I guess you did alright."

Day after day, Kurama went to school while Leilani helped his mother around the house. Upon his return, Leilani would train him while a bookmark progressed through her reading.

"You are doing very well," encouraged Leilani as they finished one day.

"Will I be able to transform soon?" asked Kurama.

"Not by a long shot! And the first time will take the longest, so I wouldn't recommend trying it unless you had enough time to figure out how to turn back."

"Do you have a clue how much longer it will take me?"

"I warned you it would take a long time," reminded Leilani.

"I know," Kurama sighed.

They faced each other, admiring the rays of light the setting sun played upon their faces. Suddenly, Kurama grabbed Leilaini's hands.

"Leilani, there was something that I'vewanted to give you for a while. I didn't earlier because I was afraid that you would not accept it," Kurama said.

He slowly drew a rose from his hair, but instead of being in bloom like the ones he normally produces, it was still a bud. He presented it to her. She looked, puzzled at the gift.

"It's a rose, like the others you've given me," entreated Leilani.

"Not exactly," Kurama explained, "This one has a part of my soul in it so it won't fade and die like the others. It is a symbol of my love for you. Don't blame it on hormones; I talked with my mother about them. What I have been feeling is more than that. Please accept it."

Leilani carefully took the rose and stared at it.

She whispered, "A part of your soul, and yet you give it so freely."

She looked back at Kurama. She gazed deep into his sincere eyes that were fully convinced that he knew what he was doing.

Barely audible, Leilani mouthed, "You have never had your heart broken before, have you?"

Now was the time that feelings were brought out into the open. For most of her mission, she tried her hardest to hold her teenage body back, but now with this symbolic offering of part of his soul, she could hold back no longer. She fell on him in a warm embrace and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you," Leilani cried into Kurama's shirt, "I'm glad you waited, I…I wouldn't have been able to accept it before…Bob would've smacked me!"

Kurama chuckled, he had observed how Bob and Leilani could get along. He eased back so he could raise her chin with his hand to look at her face. They gazed into each others eyes. Leilani loosened herself enough to move her arms. She formed a purple rose bud that she pulled out and presented to Kurama.

"Here, take this symbol of my love for you as well," she stated, longing in her eyes.

"I will treasure it greatly," confirmed Kurama.

They walked home that night hand in hand. Dinner was more delicious than usual and the chores went quicker than normal. They gave each other a prolonged hug as they said goodnight in front of Leilani's room.

After he left, Leilani set his rose on her dresser. She could tell the rose was slightly bigger than before.

"I'll need to get a vase for this one," she mused.

"You know it won't work out," Bob warned her over her shoulder.

Leilani's smile dimmed, "Oh, come on Bob, I think its sweet."

"You'll only be here till the next episode starts, you know that."

"Can't I stay?"

"No! We went over this before you left for this mission."

Leilani sighed; she knew it was useless to argue. The time would eventually come when they would have to part. It was all part of the job, no matter how much she refused to think about it.

By the next day, her sorrow of the reality melted away when she was with Kurama again. They continued his training, naïve to what they would do when the inevitable time of their separation would come.


	9. Departure

One morning, Kurama received a knock at his bedroom door a few minutes before leaving for school. Upon answering, Leilani bustled in sorrowfully. He was startled since this was the first time she had come to his room. She pushed the button of a small clock-like item that she brought in with her and set it on the window ledge.

"There, that should lengthen the next minute out to an hour," Leilani whimpered.

"Why? What is going on?" inquired the puzzled Kurama.

"I'm sorry, Kurama," Leilani took a breath and whispered, "I must leave today."

Kurama gasped and gently grabbed Leilani's shoulders, asking, "What, where to?"

"I need to report to headquarters, the Angels have another job for me."

"How long will it take? Will you come back when you're done?"

Kurama tried to caress her face, but she released herself and turned to the window.

"I don't know," was all she could say.

"What about the training? What about us?"

"I bought us some extra time to conclude the training. As for us…if you desire, I will return the rose you gave me so your soul may be whole again. If so, I ask only that you give me mine back as well."

There was a moments pause. The room was silent save for the ticking on the clock that had slowed down time. Kurama stepped closer to Leilani.

He said, "No, keep it. My soul is only complete with yours."

Leilani turned to him with a forlorn smile. "I don't want to make any promises that I don't know can keep."

"You're always welcomed back here during your breaks."

"I know. But they could always assign me a mission that last a human life-time. I don't want you to waste your life for someone who won't return."

"It won't be wasted," Kurama assured, whipping a tear from Leilani's face.

"Right," she sniffled, "Now about your training. You know how the internal process goes. I've taught you how to think and feel during the transformation. With the time remaining, I will demonstrate the physical part. To get the most out of this, I will change very slowly so you can associate the mental process with the physical. I'll let you determine on your own when you feel ready to attempt it, just remember the first time will take the longest. As you get used to it, you will be able to think less about the details and decrease your time."

Completing her last lecture, Leilani backed up to give herself room to transform into her angel form. It was much slower than when she changed at the tournament. Kurama intently noticed every move her body made. He was speechless when she was done, for he had forgotten how fair her true self was. Her face held a gentle smile of grace and she walked back towards him.

"Thank you for housing me," said Leilani, "Your efforts will be rewarded."

She held his head softly in her hands. She bent over a bit to kiss his forehead.

Kurama closed his eyes to cope with the feeling. The blood raced lightly through his body. His lungs were able to hold more air. His mind forgot about all other worries. He felt strong but could not move. He nearly fell over, but was able to keep his balance.

"Is this how Jin felt?" Kurama swooned, remembering Jin's reaction to the same reward.

"It was worse for him, for he hadn't had as much exposure to angels then as you have now."

"My reward is great indeed! Might I repay your tender lips with a kiss from me?"

"An angel's kiss is special. For me in this form to engage in that type of kiss is reserved for one other alone. And if he be not an angel too, I shall become fallen."

"Then we truly could never be together," Kurama hung his head in despair.

"Hope is not yet lost," encouraged Leilani, raising his head and looking him in the eye, "You too one day may become an angel."

"But how?"

"You've done well so far. Continue your good deeds. The Angels will come to you if they see you fit. If you ask them, they may find your actions to have ulterior motives. Helping Koenma and Yuske is very honorable. I could put a request in, but if they knew we liked each other, they would consider my word biased."

"Would that take long?"

"Of that I know not. But time is short, carefully witness the process of returning to human form."

Leilani again drew away from him and just as slowly as before, changed back into a human. Kurama was amazed at how well he was able to observe after the kiss. Every last detail was imprinted in his memory. Leilani bowed to him then passed him to leave the room. Kurama glanced at the clock she had brought.

"Hold on!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand, "We still have five minutes to say goodbye."

Leilani took a deep breath, then turned into his welcoming arms. They hugged each other as tight as they could. Leilani started to shake and cry silently. Kurama patted her back for a while then lead her face to look up at his his. He lovingly wiped the tear streams from her face.

"You know I will always love you," he assured.

She pulled a side of her unbuttoned jacket open, revealing his rose that she earlier placed in the inside pocket. It had not yet bloomed, but still was evidently fuller and brighter than when she first received it, like the purple one she gave him, which sat in a vase on the table by his bed.

"I know," she whispered.

Kurama caressed Leilani's face and rested his hand to support her neck. She also returned to the embrace with her hand behind his neck. They pulled close together and their noses touched.

"I love you too," Leilani uttered and they brought their lips together.

Both held their eyes shut to take in every last tingle and emotion that raced through their bodies. They squeezed each other tighter as if they could not get any closer, hands grasping their bodies like they never wanted to let go, holding on to each other with every fiber of their beings. Their long awaited kiss lasted until interrupted by an alarm, signifying time had returned to its normal pace. Leilani rested back on her feet.

"Goodbye," said Leilani as she and Kurama let go of each other.

She picked up the clock.

"Can't you run it for another minute?" Kurama begged.

"No, that wouldn't be safe. We still age in the time it gives us, if used too often, that time adds up, causing a person to be older than the calendar allows. It is only to be used in emergencies!"

"Must we part so soon?"

"Be grateful for the time we spent together. Now I must leave and you need to go to school."

Leilani walked to the door and looked back for the last time.

"Farewell, Kurama," Leilani breathed.

"Goodbye, Leilani," Kurama forlornly said.

He gave a slight wave as she shut the door behind her. He had hoped to catch one last glimpse of her as he departed for school, but he had no such luck.

At school, the results of the last test were posted on the wall. After the Dark Tournament and his training with Leilani, Kurama finally managed to score his name back at the top of his grade. This concerned him little, as his mind was preoccupied.

During a break, Kurama tried to read, but his mind wandered and his eyes kept drifting out the window. Some girls approached him and congratulated him on his achievement on the test. They wondered about studying with him sometime and he noticed an insect on one of their shoulders. He distracted them to retrieve it, then they giggled and left. This incident put a new worry on his mind.

After school he was with other guys practicing chemistry. They sprung an offer for him to be the science club president, which he had to decline. Then the guys pleaded, declaring all he could do for the club, including getting girlfriends.

Just then, Kuwabara bashed through the door, saving Kurama from the tight situation. Leaving his peers, he learned of the devastating news…Yuske had been kidnapped!

* * *

**Epilogue  
**  
"Never, ever put me in a teenage body again!" are the first words to fly from my mouth now that I have returned from the cartoon.

"Sorry, I had to put you in the same age range," Bob defends while smiling.

"For a long while, I thought you put me there just for your own amusement!"

"Oh come now, didn't you yourself say that one learns to handle hormones?"

"Teenagers obviously have more than adults, I'm used to more regulated levels!"

"Well I supposed you were able to learn during the training as well?"

"True, but did it work? Will Kurama and Yoko become interchangeable in time?"

"He should, I just need to edit you out of the episodes you appeared in before audiences get to see them."

"So all that work for nothing?"

"The results of your labors will still be in effect."

"All work, no glory?" I sigh.

"Now that you've been exposed to YuYu Hakusho, are you going to start watching it?"

"I guess so…when do we get to see Yoko?"

Bob takes his turn to sigh, "End of the next saga. It sounds like you carried some of those teenage hormones back with you."

"Nonsense! I just want to enjoy the fruits of my labor."

"You don't deserve it, I'm still not happy with you taking Kurama's heart."

"But I can go visit him on my day off."

"Not if the series is at an inopportune moment for you to go back. It may take a while. And you know how human-cartoon pairings have ended up in the past."

"The series starts over and they forget us in there with them."

"At least the significant effects remain in play so we don't have keep sending people there to fix it every time the series is on."

"But there is always outside of the show…"

"Where Leilani doesn't exist. I'm just warning you that it won't last forever."

"I know, but people say, 'it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.' I have seen so little of it before."

Bob pats my back and comforts me saying, "I know, but you will find real love some day."

Some day? It's hard to be so patient. But now I am back from the cartoon world and must face reality again…that is, until my next mission!

_The End ... ?_

**Prelude of Future Events**

In YuYu Hakusho, Kurama overcame the difficulties that he previously faced, which proved to be an asset to the team. Many years after Leilani's visit, when the series had ended, Kurama was reminded of his angel. He came across her rose and pondered why it had been so long since he saw her.

He appoints himself two new quests: to go find her and to become an angel. He learns that her absence is not without reason. Can he rescue her and manage for them to live happily ever after?

Its romance and adventure rolled into one in my next exciting fanfic for YuYu Hakusho!!

* * *

_AN: Think with the laws of cartoons, it's believable to say "Since the show barely survived its first airing, it did not reset"? XD The first time I wrote this story was about five years ago when it was on Toonami. They started the series over right before we were able to see Kurama turn Yoko on his own *wah! FAIL!* but now that the series is over and no longer being aired, it would be in the section of cartoons that are not being shown (Cartoons are set up in a grid system according to time slot and channel and the others are stacked off in another area the the CC barely goes to) so unlike before, now it would be appropriate for the show to be on its own since it is not set to TV airings. {sorry if this doesn't make sense, I'm summarizing all the workings of it as brief as I can}_

_Some **feedback**_ _would be greatly appreciated so I know if the story leaves off on a good conclusion, or if the sequel would be desired (I do have the adventure planned out, I just never wrote it down), or even if some other Cartoon Cops adventures would be of interest. ^_^ Thank you! And especially Thank You to Valinor's Twilight and Kitsune of the Roses for already commenting and showing interest in this!_

_Regardless, Just as Sally Sue/Leilani had the brief idea of pairing Kurama with Raven from Teen Titans, I did write a one shot of her setting them up on a date (disguised as a mission) while writing this due to events in Teen Titans that was currently on TV (for those familiar, Melchior was a jerk! Sally Sue just had to step in!) which I later turned into a story after finishing watching YYH and TT. I do have it up here now, so if you're interested, you may want to check out_ Cartoon Cops Dating Service_! Who knew that_ _Hiei would throw himself into the monkey works while I wrote it?! (It sure surprised me when he appeared and came into play!)_

_Thank you everyone who read this! I hope you enjoyed it. This was my very first fanfic that I completed, long before I even knew what a Mary Sue was. Hopefully my little touchups here and there made it more bearable and less sickening lol (I sometimes shock myself with what I write, "Why do I have Kurama covered in blood?! ToT" "Ewww...they're touching!" hm, Kurama's siblings do the same thing for me in my_ YuYu Hakusho Beyond! script_...they give me the creeps!) So thank you again and I hope you enjoyed my early works that I'm sharing here!_


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